Thor #5 Review

More trouble begins to stir for our new Thor.

Creative Staff:
Story: Jason Aaron
Art: Jorge Molina

What They Say:
The mysterious all-new Thor has taken Midgard by storm. But if her enemies have their say, her reign as the Goddess of Thunder will be a short one. Prince Odinson is making a list and checking it twice. All-Father Odin is so desperate to see Mjolnir returned to Asgard that he will call on some very dangerous, very unexpected allies. And the Absorbing Man and Titania are just up to their usual tricks. Namely, robbing banks and crushing anyone who dares get in their way.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With events culminating in the previous installment with the whole skull and Roxxon endeavour that sets up more of events to come, the series now takes an opportunity to refocus its attentions elsewhere. Which is a good thing, because as much fun as that arc was, there’s a lot of things to cover here in both Asgard and Midgard. With as many different stories and power plays that can be running, Thor and the whole of Asgard and the worlds it deals with could easily be done in a whole Game of Thrones context. And it feels like we’ve got elements of that creeping in here as Jason Aaron pushes the story forward with some unexpected twists. All of which is beautifully rendered by guest artist Jorge Molina, who can step in to help Russell Dauterman to catch a break anytime.

There’s a lot to take away from this issue with what’s going, especially in the opening pages as Thor takes on the Absorbing Man in the streets of Manhattan. It’s here that Creel basically sounds like every ass on the Internet complaining about Thor being a woman, feminism and more. He goes off easily on things and makes his quips, but she in the end continues to prove that she can hold onto the name and hammer as she pushes back against him and makes him realize it’s not the same old Thor as she and the hammer have a few tricks up her sleeve. I did like how Creel made the comment about Odinson being the last of the manly heroes out there and his respect for that as it shows some interesting things about both him and Thor. I also rather liked how things were handled with Titania as she’s ready to defend her guy, but also realizes what it is that Thor is up against in assuming the mantle. And the other little bits she reveals about Creel and her relationship.

The big events play out on Asgard though as Odin is in a righteous fury about being unable to discern who is underneath that helm and how she managed to steal the hammer. No matter what Odinson says, it can’t make a dent in his determination over all of this to get to the bottom of it and whatever it is that Odinson says only reinforces it. To make matters worse, we’re seeing just how changed Odin is since his return as he’s pretty much going back to the hard, old ways and has even brought his brother Cul Borson, the god of fear, to be his minister of justice and royal inquisitor. Considering what Cul has done over the years, this is shocking to say the least and sets up a lot of trouble ahead, even if it does make you wonder just what kind of scam Cul has pulled. As Frejya says later about her husband, he’s a despot. And he’s surrounding himself with some truly awful types to cement his power. It’s a surprising bit of dialogue and way to look at Odin, but it certainly fits.

We also get some good material as Odinson goes to figure out things himself about his former hammer, and makes small talk with Sif that goes badly as he finally gets around to asking if it’s her. The two have had a complicated relationship for a long, long time and that makes situations like this show just how inartful Odinson can be. Which is where he doesn’t take after his mother as we see Frejya sneaking off later to where she suspects Thor may be on the moon. The two have a really interesting talk, all while not really revealing anything, but it provides the kind of knowledge Thor needs about the threats she’s going to face. It’s hard to tell if Frejya is truly on her side, but Frejya is looking to protect what she put into place as the All-Mother, which is in dire threat now that Odin is back and ready to wipe the slate clean of all she had done.

In Summary:
This series continues to be a real delight to read and soak up, both through the dialogue, actions and artwork within. There’s a sense very quickly here that there’s a larger plan at work, one that I hope survives the coming event of Secret Wars, because the potential for some great storytelling that impacts a good but underused area of the Marvel Universe is really exciting to see unfold. Thor has some good scenes here, but it’s also difficult to become fully invested as we have no idea who she is and it can be a bit frustrating. But we get some good material with Odinson and I’m liking the portrayals of others that are being well used here, such as Freja and some good time with Sif this installment. Odin is who I’m really keeping my eye on because the idea of working him to being a clear cut despot for awhile and all that that entails could make for some great stories as others in Asgard fall to their sides.

Grade: A-

Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Marvel Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: February 11th, 2015
MSRP: $3.99

Chris Beveridge

http://www.fandompost.com

Chris has been writing about anime, manga, movies and comics for well on twenty years now. He began AnimeOnDVD.com back in 1998 and has covered nearly every anime release that’s come out in the US ever since.

He likes to write a lot, as you can see.

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